Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

If college store directors across the country wrote a wish list of their wildest desires, a large-scale remodel or renovation would probably be near the top of every list. Unfortunately, running a college retail operation can be a costly endeavor for a smaller school. That's why Menlo College Campus Store Manager Charlene Krakowsky thought a remodel was out of the question for her store, until she turned to an unlikely source for help.

University of New Mexico Bookstore Director Carrie Mitchell jokes that sometimes she thinks her state is a little behind the curve of textbook trends. When sales started to stagnate and decline for stores nationwide five or six years ago, as students flocked toward perceived better deals online, the UNM Bookstore remained steady.

Inventory feels like a four-letter word for many bookstores. After all, you only get so many opportunities a year to take inventory. It needs to get done to help ensure you order enough used books to serve your students and there never seems to be an easy way to do it.

But what if there were ways to make everything in your physical inventory process go more smoothly and with fewer problems? Thankfully with these tips in mind, it's easier than you might think to make the inventory count less stressful and time-consuming for you and your staff.

Since "A New Hope" premiered in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has been one of the most successful and beloved media franchises in the world. In fact, the unofficial holiday "Star Wars Day" is celebrated by fans on May 4 — a pun off of the phrase "May the Force be with you."

It gave University Stores at Kennesaw State University something to celebrate as well. The store took the concept and ran with it for the week of May 2-6, offering a sale for 25% off Star Wars merchandise, and using a Star Wars theme to spruce up its display windows and advertise its rental returns.

You hear rumblings about a new website or service advertising itself on campus as the latest, best and only student-oriented, free marketplace for selling books, apparel and other items directly to other students.

We’re proud of our state-of-the-art warehouse that lets us get the right books to our partner institutions, on time. Since everyone doesn’t have the chance to see it first-hand, we’re bringing it to you.

With the rush season in full swing, it’s time to consider some areas of opportunity for your store. With a majority of college-age consumers using mobile devices to shop for deals, how are you using your eCommerce solution to garner your students’ interests and improve your sell-through online? If you haven’t implemented an eCommerce platform, now’s the time.

News about upcoming services to college bookstores. Fond farewells to longtime industry leaders. Stories from other collegiate retailers increasing rentals and on-time faculty adoptions in an increasingly competitive business. Monthly marketing plans to better promote your store.

We've published some great content in 2016 if we say so ourselves, and based on our viewership statistics, it seems you agree. In case you missed them the first time — or just want to read them all again — here's a list of our most viewed and shared store stories, Monthly Marketing Plans and other articles from 2016. 

Preparedness is an essential trait of running a successful bookstore. The best way to make sure you’ll be ready from day one is to find a comprehensive training program that will enable your staff to provide a smoother customer experience, maximize your store’s organization and turn your employees from novices into experts. A direct correlation can be drawn between well-instructed training and store success.

When North Central University's longtime bookstore manager took a job elsewhere, the school took the opportunity to re-evaluate its store and how it served students' course material needs. The Christian co-ed Minnesota residential college found that its 1,300 students were facing some challenges, including long waits and an inefficient process within their on-campus bookstore.